EPL 2016/17: Middlesbrough 0-1 Chelsea - 5 Talking points

Chelsea extended their winning streak when they edged past Middlesbrough 1-0. Antonio Conte’s side travelled to The Riverside full off confidence, thanks to their exploits in recent weeks.

Diego Costa’s poacher’s goal in the first half was enough to secure the three points for Chelsea as they moved to the top of the league. Middlesbrough could not replicate the fight-back that they showed against Manchester City last time out, and they did not create any real chances to trouble a resilient Chelsea defence.

#1 Chelsea performing well as a team

Chelsea were made to work hard for their three points against an organised Middlesbrough side. The Blues had to be sharp in all areas of the pitch and they did just that. Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante were once again superb in the middle of the park, breaking up any Middlesbrough play before it even started.

Victor Moses continued his impressive start to the season with a Man of the match display on the right, while Marcos Alonso was also equally good on the opposite flank. Gary Cahill seems to have put his early season blues behind after another solid defensive performance from the England international.

Six clean sheets in as many games goes to show how well Chelsea play as a team in every corner of the field.